"He has the right to pull out; if I wanted to be in the semifinal, I should’ve beaten him" - Taylor Fritz on his Wimbledon loss to Rafael Nadal
Taylor Fritz is having his most successful season yet. He won the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells, beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6(5) in the final to clinch the trophy.
The pair met again in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where a visibly injured Nadal fought hard to win the five-set contest and go through to the semifinals. However, the 36-year-old had to pull out of the grasscourt Slam before his match against Nick Kyrgios because of an abdominal injury, which led many to ponder whether Fritz should have been allowed to take Nadal's place in the last four.
In a recent Citi Open Instagram live, Fritz disagreed with that idea.
“If I wanted to be in the semifinal, I should’ve beaten him," Fritz was quoted as saying. "It’s as simple as that. If I didn’t beat him, I shouldn’t be moving on. I don’t deserve to be in the next match. It is what it is. He has the right to pull out."
Thank you for your honesty and integrity, @Taylor_Fritz97!!! twitter.com/lawanda50/stat…
The Indian Wells champion further stated he was excited about the potential clash against Nadal when the SW19 draws were announced.
“It was a huge match and I wanted it," Fritz said. "I saw early on in the tournament that it could be a quarterfinal and I said, I want that quarterfinal, and I got it, and I played well. I had my chances, could’ve gone either way. It sucks to lose obviously."
He also claimed that the Wimbledon quarterfinal loss was one of the hardest defeats of his career.
“This probably hurts more than any loss I’ve ever had,” Fritz remarked. “After the match was over, I was sitting there and I felt like crying, like I wanted to cry. I’ve never felt like that ever after a loss.”
Taylor Fritz is the champion at Indian Wells, ending Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run in 2022, with 20 wins in a row.
A day to remember! 🎉Taylor Fritz is the champion at Indian Wells, ending Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run in 2022, with 20 wins in a row.
Fritz is the first American male to win the Indian Wells title since Andre Agassi in 2001. Congrts, Taylor! 👏🏆
📸: @BNPPARIBASOPEN https://t.co/7FP9QfBRpb
Looking back on his Indian Wells triumph, Fritz said that the win over Nadal in the title clash was one of the biggest of his career.
"Beating Rafael Nadal was incredible. It was one of the biggest wins of my career," Taylor Fritz stated.
Taylor Fritz eager to break into top 10 of ATP rankings
Taylor Fritz hopes to be in the best shape possible to compete for the upcoming hardcourt titles. The American has resumed training for the first time since his disappointing Wimbledon exit.
Earlier this year, Fritz reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open. He followed it up by reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
The World No. 12 is eager to continue this progress and hopes to find himself in the semifinals of a Grand Slam soon.
“I’m looking to break in to the top 10. I’m right there points-wise. One good result will do a great amount. That’s a huge goal from me. It is a lifelong tennis goal”, Fritz said.
Fritz will be contesting the Citi Open, which is slated to take place between August 1 and 7. This will be followed by the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters, after which he will compete for the US Open title.